Tru Shots Photography Blog

In Transition...

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 21:08:00 +0000

As I mentioned last July, I am undergoing many transitions in my photography work, including the very name of my work (will change from Tru Shots soon), what sites/networks I use, what work from my existing work I will display and what work I will create in the future (as well as some personal changes). You can revisit my post on those pending changes here: Change Is Good...Growth Is Better

As of now, my Facebook Fan page has been deleted. My Flickr account has been deleted. I am not really interested in either of these two networks anymore.

This blog will only have ONE more post before it's permanently inactive, though it will still be accessible from the web. I will leave it up since some photographers go back to past writing I have and need the information. However, the actual website at www.trushots.com will go down and redirect to this blog or to the new site.

The new site and blog will most likely be on Tumblr or Wordpress. Final decisions are being made. Also, the new name of my work will be unveiled then.

As far as YouTube and Vimeo are concerned, those accounts will remain, though the video/film work posted there, of course the page name/design, and what will be posted in the future will change.

The Twitter account I have now for Tru Shots (@trushots) will simply get a name change, but if you already follow it, you will know when this change occurs.

As for now, I no longer offer consumer photography in South Florida (i.e. events, portraits). Again, as I mentioned in the July post, I am transitioning into different areas of photography AND in my life outside of photography.

As for my photography publishing, my eBooks will be accessible via the new site, and on this blog when it becomes inactive. I am already working on my 4th and 5th ones for 2013.

I am excited about the changes; a lot of it has been a BIG weight off of my shoulders. Even within something as exciting as art we can get trapped in genres and habits that we no longer desire. I am glad to move in a different direction.

Free Or Frugal: Learning and Creating Photography On A Budget (NEW eBook!)

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000

I am pleased to announce that my third photography eBook, Free Or Frugal: Learning and Creating Photography On A Budget is published and available as of TODAY!

Synopsis:

This eBook is a great resource for creating photographs that you love, using tips, tricks, and ideas that keep creativity up and costs down. It also addresses some of the psychology, social media culture and perceptions involved in photography in terms of how photographers think about gear, photography genres and photography education, in relation to costs. So in other words, there are some fun rants involved as well. If you know and like my photography blog writing style, as I have been writing here on this blog since May of 2009, you know what this book will be like. It is my favorite of the 3! And, it's something that a photographer of any level can read, though certain parts are more for pros than not.

The cover:

The specs:

55 pages, 27 photographs, a page of just tips at the end of each of the 3 major sections (Gear, Genres, Education), several references to great books for additional reading on particular topics covered in the eBook, and 116 helpful photography links at the end of the book.

More...

There are three primary topics that are covered. Photographic gear, photographic genres and photography education. Each primary topic has subtopics as well. Some of the things discussed include: buying a first camera for beginners and the right tools for professional photographers, mobile photography, cultural photography for those who cannot afford travel, food photography and more. Some of the more...ahem...controversial topics discussed include the TFP/TFCD culture, the "rockstar" photography culture via social media and photography workshops. I really enjoyed writing this. I let it all hang out.

TO PURCHASE: SIMPLY CLICK THE BUTTON ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS BLOG UNDER THE IPAD PHOTO OF THE EBOOK. AFTER PURCHASE ($10.00), IT WILL DOWNLOAD IMMEDIATELY.

VIEWING INFORMATION (IMPORTANT):
This eBook can be viewed on an iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone, and any device that has PDF reading capability. It will open in iBooks or Good Reader apps on any iDevice. It also can be read on any PDF reader on a computer. Images in eBooks do tend to look blurrier in Apple Preview versus Adobe Acrobat Reader.

If you have any technical trouble, contact me via Twitter (@trushots) or via email: info [at] trushots [dot] com, and I will have your issue resolved within 72 hours.

If you are a photographer who wants to create your own eBook and share some of what you know, check out my blog post: 11 Tips For Creating A Photography eBook

(To be clear, this eBook is NOT about people who are seeking photographers for work that they do not want to pay for. I want to be clear about this since whenever the words "free" and "photography" are nearby each other, people think this. This book is to HELP and possibly INSPIRE photographers, not to promote the exploitation of photographers for free labor.)

Photography eBook Sale!

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 00:12:00 +0000

My second eBook, Photography Projects For Practice and Portfolios was released last year at $12.00. Photographers LOVE it. But, now it's time for a SALE!

Now get a copy for only $5.00!

TO PURCHASE, CLICK THE PAYPAL BUTTON UNDER THE EBOOK ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS BLOG.

For this low price you get an eBook for a photographer of any experience level about creating and completing creative projects with photographs. (It does not teach you how to create/edit the photographs themselves as many books do that, so it is not a beginner's book on shooting, in that regard.)

It offers education, structure and ideas for projects that you can design with existing photographs or ones that you create as a photographer of any experience level. Certain things I share in the book I direct towards beginners, certain things towards pros, but most of the book any photographer can find purpose for. It can be a great resource for any creative photographer who desires to do more with their photographs.

The major sections of the eBook include: choosing a photography project, structuring a photography project, working on a photography project, practice and portfolios, and finally, completed photography projects.By the numbers: 56 pages, over 80 colour photographs, 10 reading tips (books that I suggest based on certain topics mentioned within the eBook) and 12 project tips spread throughout the text of the eBook. Over 40 photography project suggestions of a variety of types are included as well.Helpful charts at the end of the book include: a photography workflow chart (from pre-photograph creation to client/project completion), a photography project quick guide (steps from creation to completion of a project), photography project options and ideas (where the 40+ project suggestions are) and a photography education list (what I use to study and learn photography in general; similar to the one that was in my first eBook, but with a few changes and updates).Here are a few screen shots of pages from my eBook:

VIEWING INFORMATION (IMPORTANT): This eBook can be viewed on an iPad, iPod Touch 4G/5G, any iPhone, and any device that has PDF reading capability. It will open in iBooks or Good Reader apps on any iDevice. If you are going to read it on a computer though, use Adobe Acrobat Reader and select Zoom > Actual Size. Otherwise, Adobe may open it larger than the book really is, making the photographs blurry. Any zoom between 66%-small is best. For Mac users, Acrobat Reader provides a much better PDF viewing experience than Apple Preview does.

TO PURCHASE, CLICK THE PAYPAL BUTTON UNDER THE EBOOK ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS BLOG.

Please contact me if there is a purchase error, download error, the file seems odd/blurry/corrupted or any other technical issue occurs. I will rectify any tech issues you have within 72 hours.

The sale will end on Monday, November 26, 2012.

Change Is Good...Growth Is Better

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 19:21:00 +0000

No photographer really knows how many times we'll have to think about an image, truly see, compose, press the shutter, edit, then share it (if chosen to). At the same time, I can't slam pack everything into a single day out of fear of there not being a tomorrow. So instead, I plan as if there is. I pace myself. I evaluate my thoughts. I think about what I am interested in and accept how that shifts over time. Sometimes this thinking means less blogging here.

Partially why I haven't blogged here in a month is because in late May, I started a blog that I really wanted to create for months: Gradient Lair: Black women + art, media, social media, socio-politics and culture. Think critically. Feel Deeply. Powered by Tumblr.(http://www.gradientlair.com) In this blog, I critically (and without apology) discuss media and cultural issues and their impact on me and Black women at large. I also share positive and reaffirming images of and media about Black women. The serious and the sweet. As I mentioned in my end of the year post in 2011, I am teetering with the idea of pursuing a doctorate degree, and what I want to study overlaps the types of things I've written about on this blog since 2009, and now Gradient Lair since May 2012. I've received some great feedback about Gradient Lair so far, and it's very encouraging to me, especially since it's a niche blog.

The other reason why I haven't blogged here in a month, or not nearly as often as I did in 2010 or 2011, is that I feel my interests are once again shifting. There was a time that I thought that I would only create nature photographs--a time before "Tru Shots Photography (2005)." Then just portraiture and weddings. (I haven't done a wedding since 2009 and don't offer wedding photography anymore. My interest shifted.) Then portraiture, lifestyle and cultural documentary (as I began to travel, first in 2004, more heavily in 2006-2008 internationally, and then domestically in 2009-2011) photographs. This is where I am now.

But I feel a shift occurring again. Since last year, I've been studying HD dSLR filmmaking (and I wrote about some of the workshops and studying tools that I've learned from). I am interested in unit still photography (the still images created of feature motion pictures, documentaries and music videos etc.) in the future. I looked through my past work and some of the images that excite me the most are the street photographs amidst my cultural documentary images. I feel myself moving away from beauty portraiture and lifestyle images. It doesn't mean that I don't enjoy them, it just means that what moves me is shifting. Street photography. Unit Photography. Short film documentary filmmaking. It doesn't mean that I will label myself as a "specialist" of these tomorrow. There's still a learning curve involved in changing. But, I recognize that my interests are changing and I am studying accordingly. I love to study and practice.

My creative time has been or has become about:

• Reading books, articles and blog posts about images, ones that incorporate images, or ones that provide sociopolitical context and critical analyses that impact how I perceive images, media, and culture.

• Writing and blogging on Gradient Lair.

• Studying street photography and other photography genres.

• Studying HD dSLR filmmaking in general.

• Studying shorts and short documentary filmmaking.

• Studying unit photography and still image vs. motion juxtapositions.

• Watching films and other media (beyond just for "entertainment") with a critical eye, sometimes critiquing them via Twitter or on Gradient Lair.

• Researching PhD programs of interest (culture/media/communication interdisciplinary ones at good institutions) and trying to make yay/nay decisions about whether to prep for Fall 2013 or Fall 2014.

• Working on 2 photography eBooks and 2 actual books, one which deals with photography and one which does not.

• Shooting/editing....but not necessarily posting and blogging about it.(I still use Instagram somewhat.)

I don't have the same drive that many of my peers have to post every single image that I create, and even less so when I compare 2012 to 2010 or 2011. I think this actually becomes obsessive and counter-productive. It becomes a "look at what I did crayon drawing attached by a magnet on the refrigerator" kind of experience for me. It becomes a "will a celebratog from Twitter approve?" type of thing. I am so over that. I AM SO OVER THAT.

I use Twitter at pre-determined times during the day and LOG OFF all of the rest of the time. I split my Twitter account earlier this year. I tweet whatever I want (including photography) of varying sociopolitical and intellectual complexity on my personal Twitter account (@thetrudz) and photography as art, business, education or culture on my Tru Shots Twitter account (@trushots). (I still have a lot to thank Twitter for.) I have only 2 blogs now. Not 5. There was a time when I had 5! I only use networks that I enjoy using, not ones that photographers demand each other have. For me, that is primarily Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Instagram. (I occasionally visit my other accounts, as the icons on the right reveal). I blog when I have something to say...not feeling as if I "have" to say something.

"All noise is waste. So cultivate quietness in your speech, in your thoughts, in your emotions. Speak habitually low. Wait for attention and then you low words will be charged with dynamite." - Elbert Hubbard

I have mostly disregarded blog statistics and number of blog post retweets. In fact, I changed my retweet icon so I wouldn't see the number of retweets. (Besides, they decrease when you aren't praising the latest celebratog and choose to examine photography and its impact through a critical multi-faceted lens, no pun intended.) My whole social media/blogging experience has drastically changed when I compare 2012 to late 2009-2011. I...like the changes.

Changing how/why I use social media, studying and embracing my shifting interests, and preparing for and learning about other things within photography and outside of photography are things that only I have to approve of...myself. I approve! Change is good. Growth is better.

5 Signs That You Won't Be Hired For Photography

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 18:46:00 +0000

In my experience as a photographer, the following situations are ones where on the surface it seems as if clients is going to hire, but really, they aren't.

1) The prospective client asks me what my rates are without ever viewing my work. I've been out in public at social events and been asked about what I do. I tell them. They ask for a business card. I give them one. After this, I am immediately asked about my rates. They don't use their smartphones to view my work. They don't check out my photographs on their iPads. They don't even say, "oh I will check your work out and give you a call" whether they really mean it or not (and everyone has done this last one from time to time). In my experience as a photographer, someone who wants to know the rates before even seeing the work doesn't hire. Ever. (To be clear, I am not one of those tricky photographers who won't post rates on my website or discuss rates after a person has viewed my work. I also think photographers should KNOW what their rates are, and have written about this in the past.)

2) The prospective client asks do I create "regular" photos. What are..."regular photos?" I get scary goosebumps when someone says this. It usually means that they want as minimal creative expression and style to be involved in the photographs as possible. I don't create mug shots or drivers licenses. I am not Wal*Mart portrait studio, either. Sometimes creative imagery frightens some people. They have really narrow perceptions of attractiveness and associate "beauty" with "model" and other really extreme social binaries. As I've written in the past, you don't have to be a model, you're beautiful. Even so, some people can't move past their perception of "regular," and it usually means an impasse for us.

3) The prospective client uses tricky phrases such as "I'll 'model' for you," or "I'll help you build your portfolio," etc. This usually means that the person perceives themselves as a model, whether they are or not, and expects the photographer to work for free. To HIRE a photographer is to trade payment for creativity, talent, vision, and work. Furthermore, it's up to a photographer to decide how/when they will build their portfolio. People shouldn't be soliciting this, as if their image is automatically what a particular portfolio needs.

4) The prospective client mentions other photographers who will create for free. This is supposed to encourage an insecure photographer to be "grateful" that someone is interested in them, and supposedly "more important" photographers are willing to work without payment...in a recession, so some "nobody" better get to work, quickly, for free. This usually means that the person is not going hire. I don't care if Pete Souza will photograph for free for them. Me being deemed "less famous" than he is does not mean that the bill collectors don't expect payments from me.

5) The prospective client continues to mention arbitrary session dates for arbitrary purposes or uses my photography as a circular conversation starter. This situation is peculiar and specific to people that vaguely know someone that I know, or I know them from the past (an old job, high school, college etc.) They think that pretending that they want a session with me is a great way to remain a part of my life and find out information about me (the weird tic for tac that some people tend to do on Facebook with people they've attended school with...and now that I don't have a Facebook personal profile, they continue to do this by attempting to use some of my family members, probing them for information by mentioning fake interest in my photography). There are some people who have literally mentioned how they "must" have a session with me and have been doing this since Myspace circa 2006. I am not being hyperbolic. It has been six years of them saying this anytime they see me, as if I would object to talking to them about something else...actually anything else. Faking interest in a person's career or work because you're worried you have nothing else to talk to them about probably means...well...maybe you shouldn't be talking to them. (An even more ugly permutation of this is when men pretend to be interested in my work as a pick-up line/pursuit tactic. Gross. It happens to me though, as a woman photographer.)

Certainly the majority of people (interested in photography or hiring a photographer) that I encounter don't do any of these things. They either hire or they don't. The conversations are pleasant. Decisions are made. We move on separately or move forward together. And, I don't think the situations above are ones where a photographer should become a used car salesman trying to convert these people intro true believers who will hire. Creating interest in photography is not supposed to be manipulation or arm wrestling. Sure, there are incidents where the person teeters between hiring and not hiring and a nudge about how your work as a photographer can solve their problem (because in essence, it's like problem-solving with eloquence) is what is needed. But for me, none of these "teetering" cases have ever been like any of the 5 above. Almost all of the photographers that I know have experienced #3 and #4. Fewer, but still a notable amount have experienced #1, #2 and #5.

Some people are better at chasing sales than others. Some enjoy the sales process even more than the image-making process. (This last statement scares me, but to each its own.) That's not me. (I wrote about this in my first eBook On The Path: Journeys Through Darkness and Light.) At the same time, I think arguing over someone pretending to be interested my work for the last six years means time lost that could be spent on a genuinely interested person. I'm always more interested in the genuine.

Photographically Speaking - A Deeper Look At Creating Stronger Images by David duChemin

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 18:24:00 +0000

I absolutely loved reading Photographically Speaking - A Deeper Look At Creating Stronger Images by David duChemin. In the book, duChemin uses language metaphors to convey the photographic creation process and "reading" (the term he uses instead of "viewing") process. He writes "photographers, too, have a language. It is awareness and use of that language that allows us to move on from having vision to being able to express it." "Greater awareness of the language leads to an expanded and reined ability to use that language to express ourselves."

He discusses 3 major components of photographs:

The subject of the photograph is the message of the photograph and the intent of the communication.

The subject matter of the photograph are the elements of the photograph and are like the "words" of the story that communicates.

The composition of the photograph include the decisions (of what to include, what not to include and how it is included) that the photographer makes about an image and would be how the "words" of the story are structured, or the grammar.

About these components he writes: "Knowing what we want to say (vision, intent, message) allows us to make the best selection of subject matter (elements) and the best choices about arranging those elements (decisions, composition)." "The act of photographing requires that we make decisions about what we include, and which moment we select."

I loved these metaphors and explanations. They really made sense to me and made me think of a photograph in the same way that I think of a written story. Communication. Expression. It only takes one person to express something. That would be the photographer. But how that photographer expresses herself and the reader understanding and forming an opinion on what is expressed is communication. This is ultimately the point of a photograph--to communicate. "A significant part of what makes a photograph successful is the communication of some key thought or feeling."

Though duChemin often talks about the importance of vision in his other books and blog, he goes a step further in this book. "Vision isn't the goal. Expression is the goal. That's where the visual language comes in." He is careful about the label of "good" being applied to a photograph. He writes: "the 'good' photograph is the one that expresses what you desire to express, and communicates to your audience in the strongest and clearest way possible." He wants photographers and readers to go beyond "I like it" in response to a photograph. He writes: "not once have I created a photograph with the first intention being that people like it. I hope for something more. I hope they will feel something, see the world differently, respond in some way more than simply liking it."

He encourages photographers to be more mindful. There is no reason to say "well...the light was bad" or similar excuses for a photograph not being successful. He addresses this throughout the book, and below are some of my favorite quotes illustrating this importance.

"When someone looks at and experiences a photograph, they don't care a but how you created it; they care about how it makes them feel and what it tells them, and you can't do that without knowing and using your tools mindfully."

"If you don't care about your subject or subject matter, if you don't have any reaction to it, if you've got nothing to say, why photograph it?"

"Not every scene at every moment makes a good photograph."

"The notion that the camera never lies is absurd. The camera quotes life out of context."

"The camera will create an illusion the moment we release the shutter; if we want a hand in creating that illusion, we need to understand it."

After reading all of the amazing thoughts and ideas about creating stronger images, duChemin actually shares 20 strong photographs from his own work and artfully dissects them to help bring all of the points home. This part is truly insightful. Also, there are photographs throughout the book as a part of the actual design of the book, as well as for offering some insight about the photographs' creation with information placed in the captions. I learned a lot through these illustrations.

This book was such a great read. Make it required reading for yourself if you are a photographer.

In the age of Twitter, one of the cool things about talking about reading a book that I enjoy is the author himself replying to me on Twitter. :)

Link: My Pinterest Board, Bookology, for ALL 2012 Reads (including ones not directly about photography).

Art Matters...Even To Scientists

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Tue, 29 May 2012 18:47:00 +0000

Neil deGrasse Tyson, a brilliant astrophysicist and one of the consummate critical thinkers of our time gave a talk about his new book, Space Chronicles - The New Frontier on CSPAN's BookTV channel. I watched this yesterday. It was great.

When someone asked him if historians (History...you know...one of the degrees often called stupid or "useless" since it usually falls under the arts side of arts and sciences colleges at universities) are important to society since he knows scientists are, Tyson had this response to share:

"If you don't know the conduct of humans and what motivates them and the relationships between nations, then go back home, you're not useful out there if you want to bring real solutions to real problems. Historians are really important in this, particularly historians who put things in context rather than just re-tell a timeline of events. Context matters. Attitudes matter. Cultures matter." - Neil deGrasse Tyson

Thank...you.

You should definitely watch the entire presentation. His wisdom and humor will blow your mind.

Related Blog Posts: Standing Up For The Arts, There Has To Be More To Photography Than...

Standing Up For The Arts

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Sun, 13 May 2012 17:25:00 +0000

Recently, I saw two commercials that I really enjoy; they are pro-art/pro-artists. I am not naive...I know that both commercials are selling products and themes. This is what marketing is for. The first is Chris Matthews selling MSNBC as a progressive channel, hence the slogan Lean Forward. He mentions a quote (attributed to Churchill...but I've not found confirmation of the quote) where the context of the quote is: if arts are to be cut (not supported socially or especially financially)--if the fabric of society, its culture and its expression don't matter, why are we going to war? What are we trying to preserve and protect? What indeed. The second is the New York Times encouraging people to subscribe and experience their perspectives on the arts. Throughout the commercial various artists, their work and why they think it matters are featured. It's been a while since I have seen a commercial with any reverence for the arts themselves. Yes, these are commercials selling products or ideas. However, the greater message is not lost. Art matters. (I couldn't find videos of the commercials online or I would have shared them here.)

There is this passionately stupid myth with no empirical evidence to support it that somehow removing arts from schools will improve math and sciences scores so that we as a country can "compete" with China and other Asian countries that excel in math, science and reading. The problem is, as the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing proved, the Chinese excel at math, science AND art. All three came together to make that ceremony work and so breathtaking. This notion that children will excel once they memorize crap for standardized tests, while not learning how to critically think, apply knowledge and use skills obtained inside and outside of the arts is tragic simply because it is not true. Yet, budgets continue to be cut and children continue to be turned into robots with a factory mindset of reciting materials for an exam versus becoming creatives who are independent critical thinkers yet collectively thoughtful.

As for college-level of education, most degrees that are not STEM are bashed. Of course STEM education is important. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics matter. But so do the arts and social sciences. (Naturally, gender stereotypes influence what degrees are deemed important based on the gender distribution within the area of study. i.e. Before psychology had an influx of women, it was supported and sometimes revered. Think of the "founding fathers" of psychology. Freud. Jung. Piaget. Skinner etc. Fathers. Yet today, as women dominate psychology especially at the masters degree level, it is added to the stupid/useless degree category. Studying people is deemed stupid but studying the objects people make and can sell is deemed brilliant.) The resolution is not to force art and social science majors to like STEM majors against their will to "compete" with China or to remove such degree programs. (The truth is, business degrees are awarded more than STEM, social sciences or art.) More people need access to higher education if they want it, in fields that they enjoy (and can provide value--not just cash value, but societal value) at a cost that is reasonable and leave with basic skills that are applicable to any career field they pursue. The model of being a blueologist at Blue Inc. after getting a degree in Blueology at Blue University and working only at Blue Inc. for 45 years and then retiring has died. This doesn't mean that education no longer matters. It just means that changes are needed in education (such as the ridiculous co$t...utterly ridiculous) and within the educated. It doesn't mean that art should die. I always say that science saves lives; art makes them worth living. I really believe that. Thus, I try to stand up for the arts whenever I can and whenever needed.

More photographers should become aware of this and move beyond the "what am I going to shoot today," "which popular Twitter photographer should I worship" or "what camera should I buy now" in the modern culture of photography and realize the world goes on beyond our lenses. Be a full part of it. Talk about it...even if it goes "off script" from "branding" in the social media world. Be a force that matters beyond your pictures.

Related Blog Posts: All Art Is Not Good, All Artists Are Not Noble, Cameras, Conversation, Culture and Censorship, There Has To Be More To Photography Than..., The Myth Of The Purist, Being You Despite "Brand", Photography = Art + Science, Art Need Not Mirror Reality, Art Is Its Own Reality

Pinterest - Awful or Awesome?

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:08:00 +0000

Pinterest is incredibly popular with only Facebook and Twitter exceeding its popularity. For those unfamiliar with Pinterest, users basically create boards where they pin photographs (or charts, drawings, sketches etc.) of things of interest to them by user-defined and/or Pinterest-defined categories. Other users can "like" pins others' post or repin them themselves. Users can log into Pinterest via their Facebook, Twitter or email-created log in. It's a very visual way to explore interests of others and parts of the internet at large, as well as a way to organize one's own likes, thoughts and desires.

Pinterest got a lot of heat for months from two camps that sometimes overlapped. The first camp comprised of mostly male tech bloggers and photographers who seemed to think (and blogged as such) that the site is automatically substandard since greater than 70% of its users are women. Pinterest users who posted images of what they want for a future wedding or current wedding that they are planning seemed to be attacked the most. (However, some men are not listening to this garbage and are using Pinterest anyway. Male users increased by 8% from January to March of this year.)

Another camp were upset about issues surrounding copyright. Some were legitimately concerned about copyright as artists. Others pretended that Pinterest was the first or only site to have copyright issues, as a red herring cause for its destruction since again, the site has primarily women users. (You have to wonder if the site is bashed for users' gender and immediately after that in the same blog, copyright issues are brought up in this manner.) To be clear, any space on the internet can become an issue of copyright abuse. Flickr, Facebook, even for-profit magazines, blogs and newspapers users and creators take images without permission and then worse, profit on them, as opposed to just posting them without permission. (I have dealt with copyright infringement of my own work. Worse, those who took my images always used them in highly inappropriate and disrespectful ways. The images taken were always of women clients or even ones of myself. This is much more angering to me than someone posting one of my photographs on Pinterest, though technically, without permission it is technically still copyright infringement. I personally don't mind Pinterest posting though.)

I really like Pinterest. I've posted book covers, film posters and television show posters, with my critique of the book, film or show (something that usually falls under fair use in terms of copyright. I am not a lawyer...just providing my interpretation here. Plenty of sites including the ACLU lists rights of photographers and copyright law information). One of my favorite boards is my Bookology board (I know that is not a real word...hehe...I am using the suffix "ology" on all of my boards) that showcases everything I've read in 2012 so far. (I didn't have Pinterest in 2011, so I posted what I read [photography-related though] on this blog.) I also post images of old artwork (some of which is outside of copyright law time periods) or objects like shoes or furniture...things for sale from major companies that seem to accept that people openly share product commerce images without asking first. I don't go into photographer's portfolios and blogs and post their work because I definitely don't want to anger or bother anyone who doesn't want to appear on Pinterest. Copyright law is complex and some adhere to it strictly. Some ignore it completely (and curse out those they take the work from---I've been cursed out by people who felt entitled to my work to create their own profit from. I am not talking about harmless Pinterest users but for-profit corporations with entitlement issues that no therapist can fix.) Some (both creators and consumers) are adapting to a widening gray area that copyright law perception has become.

President Obama, one of the most socially (his camp has the social media thing DOWN to a science) visible politicians (even before being the President) has a Pinterest page now. One of my favorite shows, The Talk, has a Pinterest page. I've seen dozens of product and business commercials where not only the Facebook link and the Twitter handle is included on screen at the end of the commercial, but the Pinterest logo and or link are now included too. I don't think Pinterest is going anywhere, but is only going to grow. Awesome. I am glad since I am so picky about social media networks that when I find one that I really like, I latch on like there is no tomorrow. Twitter. Instagram. Pinterest. Definitely my 3 favorite social media networks.

Follow me on Pinterest!

Related Blog Posts: Instagram - Awful or Awesome?, I Love Mobile Photography (Especially Instagram)

Instagram - Awful or Awesome?

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:07:00 +0000

Facebook recently purchased Instagram for one billion dollars. Many people (including me) retweeted a tweet where we juxtaposed Annie Leibovitz's past financial troubles and Kodak's current financial troubles with Instagram's rapid success.** At the same time, I like Instagram. It's fun to use. I see users sharing some good and even amazing photographs.(Admittedly, most of the users I follow are actually hobbyist or professional photographers so that could be skewing what I see. I don't know. I say this since I see many people on Twitter complaining about how awful their Instagram stream is. *shrugs*) I've made mobile photographs that I like.

However, I don't worship Instagram and think somehow a mobile photograph is automatically superior (there are those taking this stance now) to a well-composed, well-exposed photograph made with a 35mm film camera or dSLR. (The substance of the photograph is not solely determined by the gear which it was made with.) I don't over-complicate mobile photography by trying to overly organize it and micromanage its presence in the web world. One of the alluring things about iPhone and other smartphone camera apps including Instagram is the relative ease of use/sharing and the somewhat rules-free (in terms of use, not that photographic composition principles have to automatically be thrown out) zone they are. This is what attracts users to Instagram. This is what makes it different from using professional equipment or even becoming a professional.

Admittedly, some photographers are offended by Instagram. And, certainly there are a few VERY ANNOYING Instagram users who think using Instagram means professional photographers are automatically useless, purposeless and they themselves are now professionals. Again, owning a specific tool doesn't automatically make anyone anything other than a specific tool owner. Period. Writers are more than laptop owners. Photographers are more than camera or smartphone owners. Still though, most people aren't under the delusion that using a fun app and sharing what makes them happy, images of and about their lives, means that they are superior to or automatically replace professional photographers. That isn't even their goal. I love seeing their photographs. The existence of these images do not threaten me in any way.

Overall, I don't think Instagram "ruins" photography. Though I don't like to see photographs of certain things (conflict photojournalism is an example) as cutesy Instagram photos, overall, I think it will become more of a way to communicate versus a way to replace existing methods of professional photography. Many people are rapidly joining Instagram since Facebook is now its owner. They are posting the same photos they would've posted to Facebook anyway...ones to communicate with and share with their friends...not ones that are automatically "portfolio building" pieces. This would be why Facebook purchased it anyway...they recognize Instagram's power. I love that all level of photographers as well as those who aren't are connecting this way. We are communicating...through images. Awesome.

**In my opinion, though methods of creating photography change (Kodak), the quality, historical substance and cultural relevance of powerful images and artists (Leibovtiz) will never fade, regardless of dollar signs. Instagram may fade the way Polaroid did (before its recent comeback.) People will remember Leibovitz's images 300 years from now. Period. If you don't think social media can have ebbs and flows...remember Myspace? Now again, remember Annie Leibovitz's photograph of John Lennon and Yoko Ono? Lance Armstrong? Bill Clinton? Nelson Mandela? (It would be nice if it wasn't always popularity over quality and "right now" over legacy sometimes though, in terms of monetary value assigned to something. Even so, I am loving Instagram.)

I am "thetrudz" on Instagram's iPhone app | View my Instagram photographs on the web

Link: Interesting Nuanced Take On Instagram (video by PBS)

Related Blog Posts: Pinterest - Awful or Awesome?, I Love Mobile Photography (Especially Instagram), When You Become A Gearslut, The Terrorists Win

All Fresh Everything

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:18:00 +0000

Last week I blogged a video of my dad's garden in my ongoing study and practice with HD dSLR filmmaking. (Again, being a pro photographer doesn't automatically make me a pro filmmaker too, so I have enjoyed the learning process.) I have been photographing his garden for a few years now and have shared photographs from it in the past on this blog, as well as on my Flickr page. Food itself is an important part of cultural documentary photography, from what we eat, how food grows, how it is priced, how it affects economies and even how people share meals in their homes/what cultural stories it tells. Thus, I make sure to include food stories amidst this part of my work.

What has truly interested me lately is the uprising of urban gardens/farming. Many urban areas suffer from lack of available, fresh and reasonably-priced produce and other healthy foods. Recently, on one of my favorite political shows (with my favorite political scientist and one of my favorite feminists, Melissa Harris-Perry), The Melissa Harris-Perry Show, an advocate of environmental justice Majora Carter was on the show. They had a great conversation, which you can view below.

Not just access to healthy foods but pollution, the social, political and legislative devaluation of urban areas and its inhabitants and more are facets of environmental justice. I don't mean to say that it is only about eating. But who can deny the importance of eating well and its correlation to living well? I am glad that I get access to some healthy foods through my dad's desire to garden. One of my best friend's father gardens as well, but lives in a different city. As far as I have seen, my dad is within a small handful of people who have gardens in the urban city that he lives in. And, I can't help but smile when I see the fruitful returns as below.

It's great that the idea of growing one's own food individually or in a communal way is making a comeback, and more and more people are realizing the importance of environmental justice.

All Art Is Not Good....All Artists Are Not Noble

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 22:35:00 +0000

Every few days I am confronted by terribly hateful, cruel, stereotypical, sexist, misogynist (and specifically racist misogyny--targeted specifically at Black women) words or images that the respective artist who created it and his/her audience seeks to write off as "just art" (which is code for shut up/get over it) or worse, as "helpful" to educational cultural exploration and/or social justice, despite it completely mimicking destructive art meant for an exact opposite purpose. (If this is what social justice "allies" do, I don't need any. At all.)

People then demand that I accept these words and images, or ignore them--as if either of these recipes aren't destructive. Acceptance means self-destruction. Ignoring only works if humans are not interconnected and words/images (and interpretations of these words/images) do not impact others and then impact me, by proxy, whether or not I personally and individually "ignored" them or not.

There seems to be this status of "untouchable" that some artists want to reside in, not taking accountability for what messages are in their work or even what motivations (both internal and social) lead to their work.

The truth is, artists are not inherently noble and are capable of the same biases, stereotypes, and prejudices that other humans are. In fact, some artists actually amplify societal ills for the purpose of malice. Some amplify societal ills for the purpose of education and change, but fail miserably because of paternalistic motivations, socio-political incompetence, seeking to "lead" (instead of being an ally) and speak for those who can speak for themselves and/or lack of sensitivity/empathy.

Art itself is not inherently noble. Art doesn't necessarily stop being "art" when it is vile, cruel and purposely wicked. Many people want the definition of art itself to exclude cruelty, but again, if art is not inherently noble, it can include that which is purposely designed to marginalize, stereotype, abuse and erase. Again, art itself is not inherently or automatically noble. It depends on its expression, interpretation and impact amidst the cultural climate which it is created in. Art can be transformational, but not all transformations are designed for or expressed as that for the individual or social greater good. Art can be negatively transformational and reinforce stereotypes (see what Susan Sontag wrote about this) just as it can be positively transformational and reinforce truth and expansion of ideas, as well as challenge the negative.

Art is never "just art." Reflections of the human condition meant to please, provoke, titillate, enrage, arouse or create any other discernible emotion is not "just" anything. Historically and culturally significant images and interpretations of those images construct and deconstruct societal ideals often held at an esteemed regard, even at times when such ideals are desperately wicked. (Read more about this.) There must be critique of art beyond "is it good" (technically) to "how does this art impact society in a positive way, challenge existing ideals or reinforce hatred in the most negative way?"

Art created for and/or used as a political tool (and the personal IS political) for solidarity or social justice "alliance" cannot use the same images and symbols in the same exact negative way that art used for destruction and social injustice is, and not be subject to critique through a socio-political lens, much beyond a technical critique. The burden cannot solely be on the audience to view two pieces of art that look the same and convey the same negative message and determine that 1 is "good" because of the artist's "good intention" and "alliance" with social justice and one is bad because of the other artist's "bad intention" if they're using art to promote or reinforce injustice. More than the intention matters. The final visual expression and array of viewer interpretations will always have more impact than unseen artist intention. The expression is the art, the interpretation are the views--the intention, however, often becomes irrelevant. Though the artist cannot control how the audience interprets art, especially for socio-political commentary, the artist must challenge themselves to go BEYOND expected visually stereotypical norms IF in fact the artist is challenging such norms. (i.e. - HOW are you really challenging negative imagery with...more negative imagery...that looks exactly like the first set of imagery?) Such a challenge is not possible when said artist is not examining existing systems of privilege and persecution and their own experience and position on this social continuum. Self-examination and evaluation as continual emotional, cultural and social practice is the true art that all artists must challenge themselves with before/during/after each time they touch a pen, laptop, brush, canvas, mic, camera, or any other tool for artistic expression.

The question is not whether or not art is still "art" if it is vile and meant for harm. The question is will the artist run under the label of "artist" as a source of social absolution of responsibility for their art's impact on society at large? Do they blow off critics (especially those who examine art beyond technical goodness and through a socio-political lens) as "haters" or will they really consider the gravity of the impact of what they say and create? Do they recognize that art CAN actually harm, whether such art is motivated by cultural incompetence (which is often what is behind a "good" intention but gets sideswiped by the artist not checking and evaluating their own position amidst social privilege and persecution as a continuum) or social maliciousness? Are they willing to spit on humanity just to wear the label "artist?" Do they even recognize humanity beyond their own personalized perceptions? These are the questions that matter. These are the ones that have to be considered beyond what gets labeled as "art" or not.

The Green

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:56:00 +0000

In the past few years, I've shared some photographs on this blog of produce from my father's garden, as well as posted them on Flickr. It has been a while since I have done anything in terms of HD dSLR video study or practice, so I made a short video of some of his garden.

If you are a professional photographer, yet new to HD dSLR video like me, check out my page on this blog for filmmaking education, tips and links, here. I am still learning and having fun with it.

Friend me on: YouTube | Vimeo
Follow Tru Shots Photography on Twitter | Follow me on Twitter

My Weird Relationship With Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:21:00 +0000

I have a weird relationship with Facebook. When I left Myspace* in December of 2008, I joined Facebook that same month and I loved it for the first few months. The people seemed smarter and shinier, the interface seemed friendly and fun and everything was cool. I even blogged a few Facebook tutorials, then realized taking on such an endeavor was pointless since by the time the tutorial was posted and widely shared, Facebook would change the design.

However, by the end of 2009 and 2010, I disliked Facebook. I found that I preferred to connect with strangers over mutual interests on Twitter versus forcing relationships with people I knew from past school or job days, yet had very little or nothing in common with on Facebook. In December of 2010, I deleted my Facebook personal profile.

However, back in the summer of 2009, I also started my Facebook Fan (Like) Page. I now have over 1,000 fans and have teetered from heavy use to no use since 2009. Facebook has recently made the Timeline changes available for Fan Pages on March 30, 2012. I updated my page to fit the new design with a header that I like, and once again I am trying to engage in Facebook, for the purpose of sharing my photography, chatting about photography, connecting with past clients and possibly securing future ones.

Though Myspace went from king to commoner in a matter of a few years and despite all of the shade I throw at Myspace, Myspace is how I booked some of my very first clients long ago, including my first celebrity client ever (though I prefer everyday people as clients and that is 99% of my work...and I am glad about that) and my first wedding (though I don't photograph weddings anymore). I learned a lot through leading a photography group on Myspace (with over 200 members) and being a member of other groups. Myspace was horrible for me on an interpersonal level, but for photography development...it was great. Maybe years in the future I will look back on Facebook with the same interesting divergent view. Social media is an interesting part of all of our lives now and many of the lessons are lighting fire quick via Twitter or ones to reflect on later down the road. I still love social media...but only on specific networks, and in small doses.

Soul-Searching In The Aftermath Of Trayvon Martin's Death

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 13:54:00 +0000

People have asked me what do I think about the killing of teen Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman, and I have shared my views in a fluid, non-static, continual way via Twitter (versus writing a blog right when it occurred) over the last few weeks. President Obama asked that we do some soul-searching. I have continually talked about this with my friends, family and my social media connects. I have felt it in my mind, my body and my heart. It sent me back to a mental place when I was very young and my family had to deal with the police-sponsored murder of my unarmed uncle in the 80s, leaving two children behind who would never know their father. It sent me back to a place of dealing with the fact that while some members of my family got college educations and work, others have had to face the racism involved in the criminal justice system...whether by the police, the courts or prison industrial complex. And all of my family, despite status, endure everything from microagreesions to overt racism on almost a daily basis. All of us are affected by the racism that affects our healthcare, education, employment, finances, housing, income and more. We live it and even if we never speak about it, as so many people would prefer, it still occurs. Silence removes nothing.

Trayvon Martin deserved better. His existence was not "suspicious." And, neither is mine or any other Black woman, man, girl, or boy.

A portrait of me in my hoodie...a token of my support of Trayvon's family...and Black men and women everywhere deemed to be everything we are not. For me, it's not just something "cool" to do for social media. This is my life. Black lives.

You see, a crime like this is a travesty for so many reasons. There will be some who are in denial about the multiple facets that lead to this murder...facets that began centuries ago. Some will accept any reasoning, such as the Stand Your Ground Law, gun control and a "lone" crazy man as the reasons, but will still reject any connections to the social construct, yet deafening scream, siren, noose, motivation for rape, and gun that racism can be. But this post is not about those in denial. It's about a call to action for Americans at large.

Americans must rise to the challenge of demanding justice for all victims of crimes and end the culture of victim blaming itself. This is pervasive in a culture that blames clothing (or other ridiculous things) for domestic violence, rape, child abuse and murder. It is cowardly, prejudiced and unacceptable. The idea that someone has to be perfect (as in social standing, past behavior, accomplishments) before they can truly be a "victim" is unacceptable. The media is painting the picture of Trayvon being so wonderful since many people simply cannot accept his murder unless the child had a high GPA or something. Killing is about WHO killed and WHY, not the résumé of the victim.

Americans must rise to the challenge of becoming unapologetic about getting educated on matters of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, ability and more...without excuse. These constructs are WORTHY of examination....and are valid subjects of study formally (i.e. college) or informally (absolutely everywhere else).

Americans must rise to the challenge of requiring everyone in this country to stop demanding that people believe racism is over simply because it is amorphous and consistently changes, because it makes people uncomfortable, or because people think ignoring it = it never existed and already is eradicated. This is unacceptable. White Americans must acknowledge when race plays a role in a situation and stop needing white hoods and burning crosses to be the "proof" of racism. White Americans must stop creating ridiculous burdens of proof where racism is concerned and suggesting that any conversation about race is automatically racist. Silencing techniques are unacceptable.

Americans must rise to the challenge of continuing the conversation on race both when a racially-charged incident occurs and when no coverage on the 24-hour news cycle is about race. Valleys and peaks.

Americans must rise to the challenge of having vigor for the short-term work and the wisdom for the long-term work in order to create social justice change. Every part of a movement matters from: getting educated on issues with or without the motivation of a specific catalytic event, educating others via social media, classrooms and everywhere else with or without a specific catalytic event, staying aware of the status of related stories, signing petitions, attending rallies, examining and protesting unfair laws, using media and social media to speak out, voting, running for office and more. Awareness --> Advocacy --> Activism.

Americans must rise to the challenge of ceasing the pat on the back for voting for a Black man for President while Black children die. I realize that enlightened exceptionalism is a helluva drug, but the notion that if a handful of Black people succeed and eventually acquire some White approval = racism as has ended, is unacceptable. White Americans must be willing to examine their role in a system that: connects White supremacy to privilege, allows injustices based on racism and has a history so abominable that for many Black people, the effects are still felt today. And, while individual White Americans may not specifically be racist, they MUST be willing to take a stand against a system that they admittedly benefit from. This challenge is of the utmost urgency.

Americans must rise to the challenge of critiquing and changing the criminal justice system. Black Americans can no longer afford the wages of innuendo, code words, stereotypes, marginalization, systematic oppression, prison industrial complex, consistent relentless attacks through various forms of media propaganda, unfair laws, and lack of confidence in the legal system.

Americans must rise to the challenge of being able to have multi-faceted, analytical and nuanced conversations on race. The idea that having thoughtful conversations about issues that relate to and connect to the primary issue (in this case, the criminalization of Black men's bodies, what they wear and how they act) is somehow "distracting" or creating X vs. Y scenarios is intellectually unacceptable to me. We are capable of having these conversations simultaneously. Among Black people, there must be equal justice for all Black victims...whether women, men, LGBT, all! We cannot continue to have hierarchies based on gender or sexuality within each race. The social hierarchy that places male before female and hetero before gay/lesbian must end. Sexism and homophobia once and for all must be acknowledged, deconstructed and eradicated. Black men must accept that the "what you wear should not make you open to disrespect and violence" in regards to Trayvon's hoodie IS THE SAME argument that Black women have made about our bodies and outfits as well, in regards to rape and murder. These are not competing elements. These are correlating elements. No Black man deserves to be marginalized, stereotyped, profiled and killed for wearing a hoodie. No woman deserves to be marginalized, stereotpyed, profiled, raped, or killed based on her clothing. Again, these issues are connected. Black people must have the same vigor and passion for any victim. Failing to recognize this intraracial hierarchy or claiming that recognition signals division or "reverse" prejudice is in fact using the same rhetoric and methods that racists use to silence conversations on race.

I write this portion directly above as a Black woman who is right now (as I write this) watching Black men on Twitter trying to silence Black women who are speaking about an innocent Black woman, Rekia Boyd, who was recently killed by police, yet Black women are of course passionately supporting Trayvon Martin's cause. I write this portion above as a Black woman who was recently street harassed by a Black man...while he wore a hoodie to support Trayvon Martin. This morning, a Black woman tweeted: "sisters organize and feel a responsibility for our whole community. But when it's us...we stand alone..." in regards to not feeling equal support when Black women are victims...equal in the amount of support Black women provide, lovingly, when Black men are victims. I understand their cry. I have experienced it first hand, as a Black woman. I will no longer accept the idea that discussing facets that directly connect to any issue of racism must be ignored. I am not interested in partial change. Our lives are interconnected so partial or gendered change does nothing for all of us. I want beautiful, happy, and healthy lives for hetero Black men and Black women, Black LGBT, and Black children. And, I know that this cannot occur if within the Black race we decide that some lives are move valuable than others while outside of the race many White and other Americans decide that Black lives are not valuable in totality.

Americans must rise to the challenge of actually changing if we want change.

If we allow Trayvon Martin's death to simply be a conversation for the moment, and not a true examination of: the legacy and present-day affects of racism and White supremacy, the criminal justice system and racialized vigilante violence, overt and subtle police brutality, the pervasiveness of racist statements, actions and White denial in this country, the cultural climate where the Black president we are so "proud" of voting for has to tiptoe around race so often, the intraracial issues that makes the lives and deaths of people within the same race hierarchical based on gender, sexuality and religion, and the way that change itself rarely feels like change, we make a mockery of this beautiful life that was lost. Respect his life enough to actually do something about this.

Most people who really want change often ask..."well how do I start?" I reply, "be the change that you seek." Start with yourself (by checking your ideas, stereotypes and beliefs and their origins, get educated on them, and then get active) and work outward...and then back inward.

Some reflections from my foremothers and forefathers...

"Black boys became criminalized. I was in constant dread for their lives, because they were targets everywhere. They still are." - Toni Morrison

"Black people are victims of an enormous amount of violence. None of those things can take place without the complicity of the people who run the schools and the city." - Toni Morrison

"I get angry about things, then go on and work." - Toni Morrison

"I suffered evils, but without allowing them to rob me of the freedom to expand." - Gordon Parks

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

"All partisan movements add to the fullness of our understanding of society as a whole. They never detract; or, in any case, one must not allow them to do so. Experience adds to experience." - Alice Walker

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Kinda Cute Critters

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 19:01:00 +0000

I do not like insects. I appreciate their position in the food chain and how they matter to ecosystems but I rather they not cross my path. However, when I went for a walk a couple of days ago, I saw this community below getting their grub and hanging out on. They were kinda cute...in a gross but still cute way. Not sure if that makes sense. Even within things I don't like, somewhat feel afraid of and usually do not notice, I found some beauty.

I admit that these would have been much cooler with a macro lens versus a normal lens, but I don't have a macro...and, I am not sure if I wanted to photograph them that closely. Still though, I've never been one to completely shy away from photographing something (such as insects) or in a way (such has from high buildings, bridges, getting on the ground) that scares me. Face fears. Embrace beauty.

There Has To Be More To Photography Than...

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 20:08:00 +0000

There has to be more to photography than:

• Silencing important issues outside of photography that affects both photographers and clients...or in other words...affects humans.
• Gear comparisons just for the sake of "mine is better than yours."
• Megapixel counting.
• "I'm a pro and you're not..."
• "I'm an amateur and I know everything and...you're just old and bitter..."
• Canon vs. Nikon.
• Gimmicks.
• Content appropriation, copyright infringement and the entitlement that those who do this seem to have.
• Not knowing the history of the craft.
• Not embracing the future of the craft.
• Making excuses not to study.
• Making excuses not to shoot.
• Being afraid to disagree with other photographers.
• Haphazardly copying anything or anyone deemed "popular."
• Blindly following any micro-celebrity on Twitter and chasing their lifestyle, not what they're actually teaching about photography.
• Paranoia about blog hits.
• Still believing that "what camera" matters more than "what photographer/why shooting."

There is so much more to photography than this. There truly is. There is self-expression and self-actualization facilitated by engaging in the creative process. There is making people smile or think with images. There is teaching others about photography. There is using images to reveal the unknown or minimally known and educating others on that. There is the art of it for art's sake. There is the science of it that is worthy of conversation beyond just technical specs and capitalistic comparisons based on consumption. There is creating for the sake of social justice and change. There is enough to fill the greatest books with images, words about those images and how those images affect our thoughts and lives. Photography is more. SO. MUCH. MORE.

The Antique View

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:17:00 +0000

There are several spots in greater West Palm Beach area of South Florida that has lovely shoppes that sell a variety of antiques. (Check out this gorgeous teal table that I photographed and posted on Instagram). Below are photographs of cool antique furniture that I saw placed on the sidewalk near two shoppes.

Some of this stuff is NOT cheap either! I actually started a "Dream Space" board on my Pinterest page that has items that I want in my next place that I move to. I like furniture with character, not necessarily extremely bulky and heavy. I view good furniture as art.

The Fire Lady

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

I went to an art bazaar in South Florida with two of my sisters 2 weekends ago. We displayed some of my father's paintings there for a couple of hours. We must have had at least 100 people walk by to compliment his work. While there, I saw a woman doing some interesting things with fire. I love fire...though I am afraid of it. Hehe. I have the same response to water. Anyway, below is a picture of her stopping to wipe her brow from the heat. I display the photographed cropped at a ratio of 16x9, since it is actually a still image taken from the video below it. (I've cropped other photographs this way [with effects sometimes] and call it Cinematyq.)

Here's a bit of video that shows her talent. It was really challenging to create since I am new to learning about HD dSLR motion, it was dark and I had a tight space to fit into to film it. If I would've even taken one step backward, I would've been in the street. She was on the sidewalk. I decided just to shoot some footage...not to try to create a short film or anything formal as I have done last year while learning about HD dSLR filmmaking.

All in all, it was a lot of fun and neat to watch. I may visit the bazaar again in the future, since this particular one occurs monthly. When I do visit in the future, I will use it as an opportunity to show off some of my own work. :)

Friend me on: YouTube | Vimeo
Follow Tru Shots Photography on Twitter | Follow me on Twitter

9 Powerful Quotes From Iconic Black Women Artists and Activists

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 20:31:00 +0000

I love reading the competent writing and hearing the inspirational words of iconic Black women artists and activists of the past and the present. Below are a 9 of my favorite quotes.

"Women have to find strength from other women, because that is what gets us through." - Afeni Shakur (former Black Panther, activist, mother of slain poet,writer, rapper and actor Tupac Shakur).

"If I didn't define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people's fantasies for me and eaten alive." - Audre Lorde (poet and activist)

"Personal success devoid of meaningfulness, free of a steady commitment to social justice, that’s more than a barren life, it is a trivial one." - Toni Morrison (Pulitzer and Nobel prize-winning author, professor and scholar)

"Your life is already artful—waiting, just waiting, for you to make it art." - Toni Morrison

“No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow.” - Alice Walker (Pulitzer prize-winning author, poet, and human rights/animal rights activist)

"Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place." - Zora Neal Hurston (one of the most powerful writers of the 20th century)

“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” - Maya Angelou (world renown poet)

"When I dare to be powerful – to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid." - Audre Lorde

"Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise." - Alice Walker

Black Women and The National Portrait Gallery (Smithsonian)

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:17:00 +0000

"The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery tells the history of America through individuals who have shaped its culture. Through the visual arts, performing arts and new media, the Portrait Gallery portrays poets and presidents, visionaries and villains, actors and activists whose lives tell the American story." (description of its purpose from the website)

Information about one of the exhibits crossed my stream this afternoon on Twitter (so of course, I hurriedly followed NPG's Twitter account with my Tru Shots Photography Twitter account, @trushots [I still have my now personal account @thetrudz]). A beautiful photographic display about notable Black Americans is there through April of 2012 and is called The Black List by photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. He is a White male photographer who seeks to redefine the negative connotation of the phrase "the black list" to invoke a meaning of pride, not dread.

I don't think that I will make it to D.C. before April to see the exhibit in person, but luckily on the website for The Black List (as linked above) some of these portraits of notable Black men and women are shared. Since my project for Black History Month is Black Women - Past and Modern, below are four links to my favorite portraits of Black women amidst this wonderful collection.

Toni Morrison - She always looks both strong and compassionate, both wise and open-minded in her portraits. I love them. (Brilliant Pulitzer and Nobel prize-winning author.)

Lorna Simpson - I mentioned her in a post about Black women pioneers in photography that I wrote earlier this month as a part of my aforementioned project. I love this portrait of her. (Talented visual artist.)

Suzan-Lori Parks - She is stunning with amazing hair! Her smile is truly warm. (Amazing Pulitzer prize-winning playwright.)

Serena Williams - She is always beautiful with the perfect combination of athleticism and softness. (The best female tennis player of our time.)

I love the visual and intellectual recognition of such an exhibit, and I am so glad that I came across this information today because I did not know about this exhibit....another reason why I love Twitter.

14 Talented Black Women Creatives On Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:00:00 +0000

I recently shared a post where I praised the creativity and conversation of 12 Awesome Black Women Photographers On Twitter. But, photographers aren't the only artists who inspire me through their work and their words, shared via Twitter. There are other genre of artists that I enjoy as well.

@ReneeMHamilton - My sister Renee is an amazing makeup artist who is studying at the San Francisco Institute of Esthetics & Cosmetology. She already has years of experience in makeup artistry, but wanted to further her education in her craft. She also has a Bachelors degree in Business and is a high-ranked enlisted officer in the U.S. Army, now the Reserves. She is so creative! We've worked together a lot in the past under her past company name Art by Ideity, and she has now re-branded herself with her own name. (You can also check out her page on Facebook.) I think that makeup artists and photographers go together like a great icing on a well-made cake. I previously blogged about how I think both photographers and clients can benefit from working with makeup artists (and in that post, I list several Twitter handles of other makeup artists--more fabulously creative Black women. One of my favorites in that list is @IvyLaArtista. Brilliant. Creative. Focused.)

@7952EARRINGS - Traci is a talented jeweler who makes the most incredible designs. She is also hilarious and very blunt with her personal Twitter account. (The aforementioned user name is her business one). She designed the earrings on my eBook cover (Photography Projects For Practice and Portfolios) that you see on the right side of this blog.

@Damasterstylist - Keshia is am AMAZING hairstylist (as well as a jeweler and makeup artist). Her hair styles are so amazingly creative, fierce and...exact. I don't think she's ever met a pair of scissors she couldn't work. It's like artistic perfection.

@KrisDeLaRash - Kris is a fabulous poet, producer, singer, activist and writer. Her song "Crapitalism" gave me LIFE. She is aware, intelligent and very creative.

@CNRush - Christel is a GREAT person to follow on Twitter. Her depth and breadth of knowledge on music, politics, and art at large is wonderful. I always look forward to her tweets and things that she shares. She calls herself (in her Twitter bio) a "poetic rapping scientific musician." I love that! I love music!

@LauraJInspire - Laura sings inspirational songs and shares her faith with a positive twist that is absent of judgment or intrusiveness. She's an all around nicey-pie.

@thatartista - Philece is an amazingly talented visual artist. Her drawings and paintings are gorgeous.

@Lisa1660 - Lisa is a very cool and creative person who loves Instagram mobile photography! Her collages would give many pro photographers a run for the money. She has an eye! Also, she has very smart and thought-provoking tweets quite often.

@YayToonDay - Yetunde is the wife of one of my favorite male (feminist, intellectual, scholar) followers (@DanTresOmi), and she is very creative. I like some of her posts on design on her blog.

@AsiaBrown - L'Asia is creative...from writing (journalism) to fashion (starting her own company). She's incredibly smart and often shares information and ideas via tweets that are fascinating and thought-provoking.

@heyshenee - Shenee is creative and inspirational. Her no nonsense writing has inspired me to a few social media/branding related "amens" in my time on Twitter. I love her positive energy and spirit.

@LakeshaWomack - Lakesha is a great creative business blogger who has had some good posts that really promoted thought and conversation on everything from small business to relationships.

@happyblackwoman - Rosetta is a GREAT creative blogger who shares helpful business, blogging, social media and relationship perspectives.

Of course this list isn't all of the amazing Black women artists that I follow on Twitter, but I wanted to share a few with you. Twitter really is amazing...how it connects people who don't know each other over common interests. I feel that Twitter is better for this than Facebook since Facebook usually connects through familial or employment relationships and unknown friend requests can seem intrusive. On Twitter, the door is already opened to jump into great conversation and sharing. And, I am truly lucky that I get to interact with great people there, including fabulously beautiful, creative, intelligent and talented Black women.

Remembering Whitney Houston...

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:15:00 +0000

All of this month I am celebrating Black women in my project called Black Women - Past and Modern. (View all posts related to this project here.) There is no way that I could continue the project of sharing blogs, curated lists and photographs and not mention Whitney Houston. Like many fans, I was devastated when I learned that she had passed away. I spent a good hour or two just checking news sites to convince myself that it was just a Twitter lie or some other scam. It is actually pretty common for Twitter users to rapidly circulate a lie about a celebrity's death. Though Twitter is awesome, one of the downfalls is that it is also a place where cruelty resides at times.

Once I confirmed the news, I decided not to stay on Twitter that night because the almost sociopath-like response to any celebrity's death is very awkward to witness. Basically, people try to police others' mourning or decision to mourn by: 1) advising people that unless they "knew" the celeb "in person," no mourning or sadness is warranted, 2) advising people that unless they discussed the celebrity daily prior to the death, they have not "proven" their loyalty enough so they are not allowed to mourn after the celebrity is gone and 3) the celebrity is not "paying" their bills, or something/someone else is "more important" than the death of the celebrity in question, so again mourning is not warranted. Even worse, many people responded to her loss with a racist tunnel vision judgment that makes her the only celebrity who battled substance abuse (um...hello Elvis, Marilyn etc.) or that somehow her death and media attention on her death equates to White celebrities (or even more outlandish, White soldiers overseas) no longer mattering, as if caring for Whitney and loving her legacy means that no one is capable of caring for other celebrities (or soldiers) of other races. Who would stop caring about soldiers because they care about losing Whitney and the impact of her death on her family, music and pop culture at large? We can't walk and chew gum? Why is this even a comparison? It only proves how illogical bigotry truly is. From the hideous Fox News comments to the terrible diptychs and other images that included negative text circling the web, some people have made it apparent that despite the tremendous impact that she had on culture in America, her life is automatically irrelevant because of her race and personal struggle. Their loss.

Whitney was a remarkable woman who had a voice and a talent that we may never see again. The way she sang about love and life with a passion, intensity and fire that was unmatched really touched my heart from the first time I heard one of her songs when I was in elementary school. She was the first young Black woman to grace the cover of Seventeen magazine. I loved how beautiful she looked in videos--something that reinforced that Black women are in fact beautiful and can be beautiful, despite what the world wanted to convince me of as a child in the 80s (and still try to convince me of even now. Kanazawa anyone?) Despite the struggles she had with tough interpersonal relationships and substance abuse because of them (something that Americans of many cultural backgrounds and ages battle...daily...right now), her musical legacy and cultural impact cannot be denied. She is truly special. She is the only person that I can play in Pandora and I am immediately moved to tears (or incredible joy) and not just because she is now gone from this here Earth...her music has always affected me like that. From my Walkman, to my CD player to my iPod mp3s to Pandora radio blasting loudly in my ears, the medium has changed, but her beautiful music remains amazing.

When researching the totality of her accomplishments, I learned that Whitney earned: 2 Emmy Awards, had 4 U.S. #1 albums, 11 #1 songs, 6 People's Choice Awards, 6 Grammy Awards, 7 Soul Train Music Awards, 16 NAACP Image Awards, 22 American Music Awards and 30 Billboard Awards among other awards and accolades. Even by her peers, fans, and the recording arts industry itself, she is someone notable. How sad for people whose bigotry doesn't allow them to see that, and instead choose to judge her by her shortcomings alone and reduce her to a racial stereotype, not worthy of a mention or mourn. Again, their loss.

Kindness seems to be challenging for some people. Respect seems to be lacking in many people. If people openly disrespect the President to his face, and often with racial undertones, I suspect that my desires for Whitney to receive respect will not be satiated. I wish her family an inordinate amount of peace in this difficult time. I kindly think of her beautiful young daughter, because I too lost my mom at a young age. I will always remember what Whitney means to art itself as an art lover, and I will always love her.

12 Awesome Black Women Photographers On Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:07:00 +0000

For Black History month 2012, I am doing a project called Black Women - Past and Modern, and sharing my writing, curated lists and photographs on my blog for the project. All blog posts connected to this project are labeled: bwproject. To view the post where I initially announced the project, click here.

I love that I have talked with talented, smart and dynamic Black women photographers on Twitter. My conversations with them about photography (and not about photography) have been interesting and with some of them, inspiring. They have beautiful work as well. (I actually did in-depth interviews of a few mentioned below when I did an interview project in the past called Female Photographer Spotlight, of women photographers of a variety of backgrounds. The ones that I have interviewed in the past have a link after their listing below.)

Below are ones that I think that you should know of (as a peer photographer OR as a potential client.) I curated this list based on only two things that matter the MOST: how fun, interesting, intelligent or dynamic conversations are with them and/or how strong I think their photographic body of work is (for ones that I speak to less often, but still love their work).

@traceybrownfoto - Tracey is a superbly talented and award-winning wedding photographer. She is completely hilarious to tweet with. Awesome personality. She's the first person I recommend when anyone anywhere asks me about wedding photographers. (interview)

@marybphoto - Mary is a great photographer and graphic artist (who like me, is also dabbling in HD dSLR video/filmmaking as well). She's great to tweet with and has a fun and smart personality.

@MsTPrescott - Tasha is a really talented portraiture and wedding photographer who shares great photographs online. She is always cool and real. (interview)

@TheRawCast - Erica is awesome to tweet about the simple and the complex. She's very smart and is a cool photographer.

@photocaptivated - Lyn is one of those awesome photographers who shares tons of great info to help her peers. She rocks.

@chelokeys - Chelo is very nice and a hoot to tweet. Her photographs are magical. She really personifies the ability to "paint with light" in my opinion. Her lighting is unique to me...I just don't see on-location portraits made like hers often.

@category5photo - Camille is smart and great to tweet with. She makes beautiful photographs.

@credd - Cheryl makes amazing photographs, especially of food!

@shedriven - Kim is an amazing photographer and author. I have "known" her online since Myspace days! Really! She's a gem. (interview)

@debrahamphoto - Debra is nice and a good photographer. (interview)

@LBinFASHION - Latrenia has a fabulous sense of style and aesthetics and this can be seen in her work. She uses Facebook more than Twitter per se, but conversations with her are always nice.

@LaKayeMbahPhoto - I don't tweet LaKaye as often as some of the other women, but I adore her portraiture and wedding work. Beautiful.

There is a cool twitter account that's a collective of Black women photographers. (@blackfemphotogs). There's also a group for it on Facebook, but I don't have a personal profile (I deleted it in December 2010, though I am considering making another one) on Facebook (only a fan page), so I can't join groups. Thus, the Twitter account is helpful for social media users like me who are heavy Twitter users but very light Facebook ones.

Don't forget...I also created a new account just for Tru Shots Photography (@trushots, please follow), where I tweet my work, my writing as well as others' great photographs, articles and photography business/education information. I still have my almost 3 year old account on Twitter with 3700+ followers, @thetrudz, which I use as a more personal account...though sometimes I chat art there as well.

Black Women Pioneers In Photography

noreply@blogger.com (Trudy) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:18:00 +0000

Last year, I read a great book called Reflections In Black: A History of Black Photographers from 1845 To The Present by Deborah Willis, which was an AMAZING read, packed with the stories and photographs of many prominent (and less prominent, but still historically significant) Black photographers of our time, and past. What is great about the book is that there is not just 1 or 2 Black women photographers mentioned, but a decent amount are, as well as their contributions. I also peeked at (but haven't read in its entirety) A History of Women Photographers by Naomi Rosenblum. While Black women photographers are only mentioned on about 10-15 pages of the 300+ page book, it made for a good cross reference to the aforementioned book. (Another book that I want to get my hands on is Viewfinders: Black Women Photographers by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, one of the most prominent Black women photographers who carved her own path as a creative and an activist, even while married to the late great Arthur Ashe. Art is rarely just art...but often a tool for education, activism and change. She is also mentioned in Willis' book.)

According to Rosenblum's book, about 100 Black women were portraitists by 1930. This is important because creating portraiture and wedding images is JUST AS IMPORTANT as photojournalism, especially for Black people. Seeing life AS IS, not how the media, the government and mainstream society filters it is important and positively reinforcing, as well as informative as a more well-rounded view. Often photography in its early stages was used to reshape the visual message of the reality of Black life (as of course it is still used today), and offered a different picture than ones often shaped by stereotypes and hatred. As I mentioned in my post about Willis' book, this quote really stood out to me:

"The same photographic technology responsible for the circulation of minstrel caricatures, of dim-witted watermelon eating Negroes, of alleged African cannibals, of happy-go-lucky darkies whose lives revolved around dice and razors, was used to create counter images of African-American life--images of dignity, pride, success and beauty."

Names such as Winifred Hall Allen, a Black woman portraitist who photographed Word War II soldiers (women are ALWAYS a part of war in some shape or fashion...at best, documentarians and nurses...at worst...sadly...victims. NO STORY is accurate and truthful if it is about war yet women, including Black women are removed from it) are mentioned by Rosenblaum. Elizabeth "Tex" Williams became the first Black woman admitted to the Signal Corps photography school at Fort Monmouth, NJ, and photographed medical procedures as well as provided images for military intelligence.

Other notable Black women photographers mentioned in my reading included Carrie Mae Weems, an award-winning photographer who exposes stereotypes of Black people and conveys different visual messages with her work, and Coreen Simpson who has photographed art, fashion and photojournalism and eventually street photography and street portraiture. Accomplished photographer Lorna Simpson uses photography to highlight racism's impact on Black people and has created series of work on Black women.

There are so many names mentioned, and while the more collective photographic history books cannot reveal a full book's worth of detail on each person (lest such books become thousands of pages versus hundreds), I am taking it upon myself to explore each of the names mentioned on another (even if an introductory research) level. (Many photographers I know do this...not just to view photographers' images...but to understand more about the lives they lead which ultimately shaped (or shapes...for the living ones) their work. Other Black women photographers' mentioned in my reading (beyond the ones listed above) include: Florestine Perrault Collins, Elise Forrest Harleston, Elaine Tomlin, Louise Ozell Martin, Elnora Frazier, Carroll Parrot Blue, Cary Beth Cryor, Collette Fournier, Marilyn Nance, Ming Smith Murray, Sheila Pree, Salimah Ali, Linda Day Clark, Cheryl Miller, June DeLairre Truesdale, Susan J. Ross, Constance Newman, Sunny Nash, Moira Pernambuco, Delphine A. Fawandu, Nekeisha Durrett, Clarissa Sligh, Lynn Marshall-Linnemeir, Pat Ward Williams, Amalia Amaki, Renèe Cox, Cynthia Wiggins, Sheila Turner, Fern Logan, Carla Williams, Linda L. Ammons, Stephanie Dinkins, and Roshini Kempadoo.

My appreciation and admiration as far as what I am learning about Black women photographers doesn't mean that such emotion doesn't exist for other photographers. Henri-Cartier Bresson (White, French male, father of modern photojournalism) moves me greatly. His images (and words) are powerful. Gordon Parks (extremely talented Black male photographer/filmmaker and pioneer) is utterly brilliant to me. I just finished reading a powerful book by Susan Sontag (brilliant White female photographer) called On Photography, which every photographer must read. I am currently reading a psychobiography on the late Diane Arbus (another brilliant White woman photographer).

The love of photography and humanity itself, which unites us is NOT (or doesn't have to be) undermined by what makes us different. And, appreciating the Black women who've come before me in a craft that is still predominantly White and male, is something I MUST and WANT to do to continue to have perspective in what makes me different (which is OKAY) and my experiences different (which should never be silenced), and that which ultimately makes me the same as other photographers...a genuinely love for this craft. In essence, we can always be united in love even if we are different in life.